Handover: You have no choice, PDP tells Amaechi

Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has said that Governor Amaechi’s admission of readiness to hand over on May 29 should be backed up by his inauguration of a Transition Committee to interface with the Transition Committee inaugurated by the Governor-elect, Barr. Nyesom Wike.

Speaking through a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Jerry Needam, the PDP State chairman, Bro Felix Obuah regretted that just a few weeks to the swearing-in date, Amaechi is yet to set up complementary Transition Committee to ensure a smooth handover.

“Gov Amaechi has no reason not to comply with the rule of law by doing the needful, which is handing over to the Governor-elect, Barr Nyesom Wike on the scheduled date whether he likes it or not.

“It’s a moral obligation and he is duty bound to do so, as not doing so is not only undemocratic but also felonious, the PDP Boss reasoned,” said Obuah

Obuah said reason why Amaechi has refused to inaugurate his Transition Committee to interface with the Governor-elect’s Transition Committee borders on fraudulent practices of his government.

“How can Amaechi explain the failed monorail project, the Justice Karibi Whyte Hospital which his wife (Judith) connived with people to defraud of over 50 million US Dollars? How can Amaechi explain demolition of Primary Schools across the state without rebuilding them, abandon projects littered all over the State, non payment of Civil Servants and pensioners salaries and allowances, wasting of over N5bn to fund the All Progressives Congress (APC) structure and billions of naira in unpaid loans?” the PDP chieftain said.

Also dismissing Gov Amaechi’s argument that his deputy, Engr. Tele Ikuru, is already part of the PDP’s Transition Committee to justify his participation, the state chairman while describing the argument as uncharitable, said : “There is a clear line of distinction between the outgoing administration led by Amaechi taking part in, and facilitating the process of his handover and his deputy, who is a PDP member and does not represent the APC government.”

On the allegation of complicity between the PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which the APC said was responsible for the PDP’s landslide victory, Obuah advised Amaechi to ‘stop belabouring the issue of the elections since he has approached the election petition tribunal but should do the needful, that is setting up a complementary Transition Committee and co-operating with the Governor-elect, Barr. Nyesom Wike for a smooth and peaceful handover.’

“This is no time for rhetoric. What is expected is simple. Set the machinery in place to move out of Government House for the new governor to come in, rather than surreptitiously inciting people and claiming all the dead in the state including those that died naturally in the hospitals as APC members to curry public sympathy. This is very wrong.

“All we are saying is do the needful just as the PDP has, and is doing at the national level,” the PDP chieftain stressed.